Beyond videos and filters: How students are navigating TikTok’s latest text-only feature
Starting off the summer, Instagram made headlines with the release of Threads. Not long after that, Elon Musk caused a buzz by rebranding Twitter to X. Now, as we near the end of the season and look ahead to the new school year, TikTok, another social media giant, is stirring things up with the introduction of a brand-new text-only post feature.
Let’s dive into this latest social media update and how students are navigating it.
TikTok evolves…Again!
In a recent announcement about TikTok’s latest content creation expansion, they expressed their excitement for the potential of their community to explore and share creatively through text posts. This new feature allows students and users to move beyond video content and embrace the written form to express themselves.
TikTok drew inspiration for this update from the captivating and inventive writing found within the comment sections of their platform. These comments often give life to memes, trends, and unique slang, such as the frequently used phrase by students and Gen Z, “screaming, crying, throwing up, sliding down the wall, punching the air rn.”
With this fresh new addition, TikTok opens up a whole new dimension for users to showcase their own personal style through their writing skills and paves the way for more diverse and engaging content on the platform.
The evolution of TikTok
From the lively and engaging duets that encourage collaborative creativity, to stitch, a tool that allows users to blend their content with others – TikTok has become a captivating platform for students to create on and explore.
But what sets the new text-only tool on TikTok apart from other platforms like Threads or X (formerly known as Twitter)? While the three platforms have similar purposes and layouts, TikTok is a game-changer in terms of character limits. Text-only posts on TikTok can stretch up to a whopping 1,000 characters, where Threads limits its users to 500 characters and X to 250 characters. Let’s dive into this new feature and how students are already navigating it.
- Create: When a user goes to make a TikTok post, there are three options now; photo, video, and text. By selecting the text, you’ll be brought to the text creation page. Check out user @barbrusa_social, who gives a quick rundown on the update.
Customize: Once you’re satisfied with the text, you move on to the posting page, like you would with videos. Here you will have the options to add a sound, location, allow comments and duets, and more.
Content: With this new feature, users can share stories, recipes, poems, and other written content they want to share on TikTok. User @writers.poets shares the possibilities she looks forward to with this new feature.
TSI’s Take
With the new school year approaching, educators can empower their students to embrace change and start the school year strong by equipping them with the tools to navigate social media in positive, high-character ways, both online and offline. One modern life skill educators can equip students with is playing to your core—a TSI-recommended Social Standard that encourages students to reflect on their values, character, and interests as they explore the new text-only TikTok feature.
Empower your students to play to their core with TikTok’s newest feature by encouraging them to:
- Post content that aligns with their core values.
- Share their creative work, such as writing, art, or music.
- Remember, screenshots last forever, so be sure to only post things they will be proud of in the future.
For more ways on how educators can empower students to make high-character decisions online and offline, download this essential guide.
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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.